Mark Keohane says the Rugby Championship was neither lost in Durban nor won in Auckland on Saturday, the Springboks dropped the crown at Ellis Park in August. 

The Boks and All Blacks went into the final round on level pegging but, after New Zealand smashed the Wallabies in Auckland, South Africa required a 40-point bonus-point victory against Argentina at Kings Park to win the title.

The world champions beat the Pumas but failed to overhaul the All Blacks, the 2021 champions retaining the trophy. But things would have been very different had South Africa not lost their killer instinct at Ellis Park in August when the Kiwis were at their most vulnerable, a last-minute Scott Barrett try wrapping up a 35-22 victory for the tourists and denying the Boks a crucial losing bonus point.

KEO: The day the Boks talked the All Blacks out of defeat

“The Boks, at altitude and at the famed Ellis Park, were primed to bury the All Blacks and bury them in a way that would have haunted the next generation of All Blacks,” Mark Keohane wrote in his Sunday Times column.

New Zealand sputtered into the 2022 tournament at one of their lowest points, following a first series loss at home to Ireland – they were ripe for the picking.

The world champions deepened the All Blacks’ hole when the teams met in Nelspruit and were primed to complete a rare double against their embattled rivals in Johannesburg the following week. Instead, the Boks lost their killer instinct and let New Zealand off the hook.

“I have never seen Springbok players talking the All Blacks out of a crisis like they did,” Keohane wrote. “A few weeks earlier all Ireland did was focus on themselves when asked about the All Blacks. ”